dawn.com.pk/Pakistan test-fires Hatf IV ballistic missile

Pakistan today conducted a successful test launch of intermediate range Hatf IV (Shaheen I-A) ballistic missile which is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 900 kilometres, a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

‘Shaheen I-A’ missile is an upgraded version of the ‘Shaheen I’ with a longer range and is estimated to have a payload capacity of 1,000 kilograms.

The recent launches come days after India announced that it had test-fired a nuclear-capable cruise missile from Balasore in Odisha state. The missile, with the name of Nirbhay, has a range of over 700 kilometres.

Again on November 9, India had announced that it had successfully test-launched long-range nuclear-capable strategic ballistic missile, Agni-II.

The test-launches of the nuclear-capable missiles come at a time when both India and Pakistan are engaged in skirmishes along the Line of Control (LoC) and the working boundary and also as India has conveyed to China that it could no longer be issued warnings by anyone saying the South Asian nation was now immensely powerful and held a prominent position on the international stage.